Arizona weekly citizen., 1887-05-21
STRANGE RANCHES.
QUEER STORIES OF PEOPLE SANE
 ON ALL POINTS BUT ONE.
Producing Authorizations at Pleasure. An Actors Power-A Horror of Dirt. A New Workers Mania-The Initiative Steward-The Jumpers"


 Steward-The Jumpers"
 Brewster, in his letters on Natural
 Magic relates an experience of New ton which shows that any one has the power to produce hallucinations at his
 pleasure. This philosopher, after having regarded for some time the image of the sun in a looking glass, was much sur
 prised, on directing his eyes toward the dark part of the room. Co see spcc-cr Of the sun reproduced bit by bit, until
 it shone with all the viyiuness and all
 the color of the real object The hal Inclination afterward reOccurred when ever he was in the dark. The same phenomenon takes place when person looks iixedly at a window In strong light and then at a wall; a spectral win dow, with its panes and bars, soon pre- sents itself
 Talma, the great French actor, said that when he entered upon the stage he was able, by the power Uf his will, tD banish from his sight the drcss of his numerous and brilliant audience and Co substitute in the place of these living per sons so many skeletons When his im- agination had thus filled the theatre with these singular spectators the emotions which he experienced gave such an i'm pulse to his acting as Co produce the most startling effects.
 have known men to imagine that they had gold brains, silver lyers and crystal stOmachs. and the latter would swallow no hard food f1r fear of breaking the said brittle organ. There is an authentic case on record of a man who thought himself a teapot. and always went about at home and on the street with one arm held out at right angles and the other ak.mhc, walked sideways, and made a hissiuI noise like & teapot boiling. Nothing C1ull con vince him to the contrary. For many years it was the only symptom of insanity he showed. but eventually he died ia an asylum for tho insane.
 Speaking Of haIlucinatiOnz I have in mind just now a lady. one of the best actresses in this country. who has such a horror of dirt that it has become almost a mania with her. In washing her hands she uses at least five bowls 0; water. uses a towel but once and that. when it leaves the laundrcss. must be locked up lest any human hand should touch it. Her tooth brush is always under lock and key. Every morning it takes her over an hour Co bathe, using at least three tubs of water. She dimes in no restaurant where she has not the privilege of examining the kitchen snd questioning the cook. Her one hobby is water. I always call her an aquamaDiac.
 I know q very charming gentleman, prominent business man. who not for Nanderbilt's wealth would cross any river or leave New York. ! have used every erdeavor to get him Co cross the ferry from New York tO Brooklyn, and only succeeded Once-by drUggius him. He cannot tell why. but as soon a. the boat is on the point of starting be has feeling as if Ee were about 70 die a cold precipitation breaks ont all over him his knees shake, and a stranger looking at hiIn would think he was about Co Clllapsy. This has been going on for about ci-ht years. In everything else he Is perfectly sane: at home he iS charming in every respect. He has consulted the most clli- nent physicians Of New York, but t1 no avail.
 Recently I read of a most interesting journey made by Lieut.. Buckingham and others of the United States navy. While in Siberia they were walking on thu banks of the Ussilri river. when be Ob- served $ messmate. who was captain of the general staff of the Russian army. ap- AAbaAAA Ah A@- AaA-a- Af- HAAA .'-- and without any apparent reason. olGppcd his hands before his face. Instantly the steward clupped his hands in tho same manner, put on an angry look, and passed on. The incident Was somewhat curious. as it involved a degree of intimacy with the steward hardly, iu such a country, to be expected. After this they observed e number of queer performances of the steward, and finally c0mprehenGed the si,- nation. II seemed that Ls was aIi.c-el with a peculiar mental or nervous disease which forced him tD initiate everything suddenly presented Co his sen-es. Thus, when the captain slappel the plLdlebOX suddenly in the presence Uf the steward, the latter instantly gave it a similar thump. or fl any nose was made suddenly he seemed compelled against his will to initiate it instantly and with remarkable accuracy To annoy him some of the pas sengers initiated pigs gruuting or called out absurd names gtlcrs Clapped their hands and shouted jumped or threw their hats On the deck suddenly, and tbc poor stewart, suddenly startled. would initiate them all precisely, and sometimes several Frequently he wouII beg people not Co startlc him. and aga.n --Jw furiOusly angry, but even m the midst Of his passion would helplessly repeat some ridiculous shout or motion directed at uim by his pitileSs tUrmentors. Frequently he l would shut himself up in his pantry. Wu:ch l was without windows. and lock the door: but even there he could be heard answer ] ing the shouts. gruBss or sounds OR the l bulkhead outside He was man of u.id- 1 de age. fine physique, rather intelligent l m facial expression. and gave uut thc l visible indication 0f his d.sahil.iv
 l could go on writing about such cases | until ] exhausted my readers ratieuge. l but l shall close by relating a few of thc | habits of the sect called the Jumpers. or | ETenchmen, that have a commu- | nity near Moosehead lake. Me. am in | dcbted t0 the late Dr. Beard for the par tculars. He found that whatever order I was given them they at once oIJcved i Thus, ono Of the Jumpers who was sitting | on a chair with knife in his hand Was | told tO throw it. He threw it quickly so | that il stuck in a house opposite. At the | same time he repeated the order Co throw | 1t with a cry of alarm Rot unlike that of | hysteria or epilepsy. He also threw away I his pipe, which be was filling with tobacco. when hs WAS clappei ou the shoulder. Two Jumpers sitting near each otherwere | .old To Stfike, and they struck each other very f0rcibly When a Jumper is told ts strike, he strikes; when told to-thrs,.. Ee throws whatever he may happen Co have | n his hand. Dr Beard tried their bowers Df repetition with the first part of the first ine of Nirgil's ''-Eneid' and the first part lf the first line of HOmgr's ''lliad, " and put of the way words iu the English lau- yuage, with which the Jumpers could not nave been familiar. He repeated or echoed he sound Of the words aS they came Go lim in quick, sharp voice All of the Jumpers agreed that it tired them Co jump. md they dreaded it. but could not resist he command. New York Mirror.
 Sir Arthur Sullivan has gone into the business of composing anthems tO be sung t American weddings.
 Enjoy Life.